It was the year 2009. A small, humble town in the countryside—nothing special, just like me.
I think it was near the end of my second year of high school. I was expecting to spend my vacation quietly—sleeping in, reading comics, and enjoying the rain by myself.
Then my friends invited me to hang out.
They said they were having a party.
They said it would be fun.
For a moment, I thought… maybe I was finally seen.
That they actually wanted me there.
That I was part of the group.
I was wrong.
Very wrong.
It was the worst day I could ever imagine—
and the same day that changed my life forever.
It was raining in the mountains when I arrived. The place they chose was a shabby, abandoned little house hidden deep in the woods. The kind that looked like it might collapse if you breathed too hard.
They were already there.
All seven of them sat in a loose circle, laughing, with bottles of alcohol and scattered snacks around them. I didn't even know where they got those—we were all underage. Most of them were girls I knew, but there were two boys I'd never met before. Probably plus-ones.
"Mayumi! You finally made it!" Faye waved at me, smiling brightly.
"Why did you take so long?"
"Hey, did you bring more snacks, Mayu?" Jhanel added casually, her eyes already scanning my bag.
"There's a lot of us. I'm not sure this stuff we brought will be enough."
My heart was pounding. I was sweating—from climbing the steep path, and from anxiety.
Two unfamiliar boys.
Everyone already settled in.
But my friends were here. I told myself I didn't need to be nervous.
I sat beside Faye the one I was closest to, and opened my backpack. Inside were snacks, bread, candies… more than enough for everyone.
They lit up immediately.
"Whoa!"
"No way!"
"You really brought all this?"
They looked happy. Genuinely happy.
At least… I thought they were.
As we ate, Faye introduced the two boys. They were seniors from another class. I didn't understand how she became friends with upperclassmen so easily. She talked to everyone like it was natural.
I wished I could be like that.
When the chatter died down, Faye grabbed a bottle and grinned.
"Okay, okay," she said. "Let's drink."
She turned to the others. "By the way, Mayumi's never had alcohol before."
"That's perfect," someone laughed.
"First time!"
"This should be memorable," Faye added.
She poured a glass and handed it to me. It was filled almost to the brim.
"C'mon, Mayumi," she said cheerfully.
"You're old enough now. This is your first step into adulthood."
The smell alone made my stomach twist.
"Isn't this… too much?" I hesitated. "I don't think I can—"
"Relax," Faye cut in.
"It stings at first, but it gets better. Drink up!"
One of the boys... Andrei, I think—was watching me. He had a nice face. He was smiling.
That smile made my chest tighten.
I didn't want to look weak.
I didn't want to be boring.
So I drank it.
I chugged it without breathing.
It burned. My throat stung, my chest felt like it was on fire, and I immediately started coughing. Tears welled up in my eyes.
Everyone laughed. Not with me—at me.
But then they cheered.
"Nice!"
"She did it!"
"Didn't think you had it in you, Mayu!"
For some reason, that made me proud.
Even though it tasted awful.
Even though I felt like throwing up.
Faye poured another glass.
Then another.
I didn't notice at first, but… I was the one drinking the most.
My vision blurred. The room swayed. My tongue felt numb—like it didn't belong to me anymore. Everything felt strange and light, like I was floating.
Everyone else seemed to be having fun.
I thought… This is what hanging out feels like.
Then I saw something familiar in Faye's hands.
My comic.
My stupid, cringey romance manga.
She held it up for everyone to see.
"Oh my god," she laughed. "Mayumi reads stuff like this?"
The others leaned in.
"Wait, is this about girls?"
"Isn't this kinda weird?"
"She actually likes this?"
My face burned.
"How did you get that?" I slurred, reaching for it. I must've forgotten it in my bag while packing snacks.
I tried to grab it, but my balance gave out.
I stumbled forward and landed right on Andrei's lap.
"Ooooh," Faye teased. "Didn't know you had it in you, Mayu~"
"Bro," the other boy laughed. "I think she's into you."
I looked up, mortified.
Andrei looked surprised, then smiled. "You okay?"
His voice sounded nice. Just like his face.
I couldn't think straight. Everything felt slow and heavy.
But my comic—
That was still in Faye's hands.
She flipped through the pages, laughing. "This is so embarrassing. You actually believe in stuff like this?"
The others joined in.
"Romance? Seriously?"
"No wonder you're single."
"This is why you're so weird."
Each word felt heavier than the last.
I tried to stand, to say something—but my legs gave out.
The laughter grew louder.
The room spun, and I realized no one was holding me up anymore.
The last thing I remember was the cold wooden floor pressing against my cheek… and the rain outside, hitting the roof again and again.
Then—
Nothing. I woke up… and I was alone.
They really left me.
For a moment, I just lay there on the wooden floor, staring at the ceiling. My head throbbed so badly it felt like it might split open. My body was heavy, sluggish—still drunk from everything I'd been forced to drink.
I pushed myself up and staggered toward the door. When I opened it, rain poured down relentlessly, cold and loud.
I remembered bringing an umbrella.
It was gone.
Of course it was.
The place was dark, the air damp and creeping under my skin. I didn't want to stay there any longer. My chest felt tight, so I stepped out into the rain and started walking downhill.
The path was muddy and slippery. My shoes sank with every step, making awful squelching sounds. All I could hear was the storm, my uneven breathing, and the wet earth beneath me.
I looked up at the cloudy sky.
Was this all planned?
Was I just… entertainment?
A walking snack bag?
All this time, I thought they were my friends. But maybe I was just convenient. Too quiet to complain. Too shy to say no.
I didn't know anymore.
Then—
Something flashed in the sky.
Bright. Blinding.
It looked like a falling star.
No—
It was getting closer.
"What…?" I muttered.
Was I hallucinating? Could alcohol do that?
The light streaked downward, disappearing somewhere ahead—along the same path I was taking.
That couldn't be real.
That had to be impossible.
I kept walking, my steps unsteady, until suddenly—
I slipped.
My foot slid out from under me.
I barely had time to react before the ground beneath me suddenly gave way, and I went tumbling forward, sliding down wet mud and loose soil.
My body slammed hard against the earth, knocking the air out of my lungs.
"Ow—!"
And then I realized—
I had slipped straight into some kind of hole?
A large one. Fresh. Like something had crashed straight into the ground.
"That wasn't here before…" I whispered.
As I tried to push myself up, my head spinning and my hands sinking into the wet soil, I heard it.
A low, pained noise.
A groan.
"…An animal?"
I squinted through the rain. My vision was blurred—by alcohol, by water—but I could see something moving inside the hole. It didn't run away when it noticed me.
It looked… weak.
Maybe a rock had fallen. Maybe something got hurt because of the storm.
I slowly crouched down and dug through my bag, pulling out a water bottle. My hands were clumsy, shaking, but I managed to open it.
"I–I won't hurt you," I mumbled, unsure if it even mattered.
I draped my jacket over it to shield it from the rain and tilted the bottle. It drank. Desperately.
I opened a pack of chips next. The thing snatched them from my hand almost immediately.
"…Guess you were hungry."
And then—
I talked.
I don't know why.
Maybe it was the alcohol… or maybe it was because I'd been abandoned by my so-called friends.
Words just spilled out of me. About school. About being lonely. About how tired I was of pretending things didn't hurt. About how badly I wanted someone—anyone—to stay.
My voice cracked.
I cried.
I hoped it couldn't tell. Maybe the rain hid it. Maybe it didn't care.
I felt ridiculous—talking to a wild animal like some lost princess in a storybook. Someone who believed animals could understand her feelings.
All I ever wanted was a real friend. Someone I could trust.
Instead, here I was—so pathetic and alone that I poured my heart out to something that couldn't even speak.
And yet…
It stayed.
Even after it drank.
Even after it ate.
It didn't run away.
The rain began to lighten. I slipped my jacket back on and hesitated. Then I reached into my bag one last time.
My romance comic, Volume two.
The first one was probably still with Faye.
"I don't need this," I muttered.
I placed the comic gently over it, shielding it from the damp ground. I left a few more snacks beside it.
"Take care, okay?"
I didn't know what time it was anymore, but the thought of my parents searching for me finally hit.
So I climbed out of the hole.
And I walked away.
Hoping whatever happened on that day is something I want to forget but, I still keep remembering it like it was yesterday because…
It changed my whole life forever.